This invention relates to safety devices for food mixers.
In a food mixer, ingredients are placed within a container and are mixed by a mixing attachment, such as a beater driven by an electrical motor. Food mixers vary in size from domestic kitchen counter models to large industrial bakery mixers capable of mixing hundreds of pounds of ingredients in a single batch. An endless and ever-growing list of recipes make the mechanical mixer a commodity item wherever food products are sold and/or prepared. The growing demand for greater production, reduced labor, product consistency and freshness have created a marketplace for the many different sizes of food mixers. As the demand for production grows, so grows the size of the bowl, the various agitators (attachments), the motor horsepower, and the potential for accidental injury to the operator.
The size and power of food mixers used in these environments can cause severe injuries to operators who either accidentally or intentionally place parts of their body or clothing near the mixing attachment during operation. For this reason, safety devices, such as protective guards are sometimes used to shield an operator from placing his hands near the mixing attachments when the mixer is operating.
While it is true that the potential for accidental operator injury is greatly reduced with food mixers having safety devices, it still exists and is growing due to the increased utilization of unskilled and inadequately trained personnel. Further, where safety devices have been provided, their use is often disregarded. Food mixers having safety devices are often considered to be obstacles to operators who are either irresponsible or who are driven by output demands and schedules. Although the operator may appreciate the use of a safety device in reducing the risk of injury to himself, safety interests are often set aside in the interest of productivity and efficiency. On a typical day in a commercial bakery, an operator may be required to use a food mixer to mix the ingredients for a wide variety of recipes. The recipe may require that certain powdered or liquid ingredients be poured or folded into the mixture after the blending process has started. With such recipes, adding ingredients to the bowl becomes more difficult, particularly when the ingredients to be added are stored in large unwieldy containers or bags. Safety shields may obscure an operator's vision of the mixture as it develops within the bowl. Further, safety shields which are integrally affixed to the mixer increase the cost of the mixer as well as increase the overall difficulty in changing mixing agitators, removing the bowl, and cleaning the mixer. Operators working in such environments often ignore the use of safety devices and may even deliberately override a safety feature provided for his protection.